The United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland are not the only countries to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Canada also gets into the act every March 17. Each year hundreds of thousands of Canadians descend to their local bar and partake in the festivities of green beer and wild times. Evan Canadians are Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

The longest-running parade in Canadian history is the Montreal St. Patrick’s Day parade. They have been held each year since 1824.

St. Patrick’s Day had its start in pre-Revolutionary era Canada. Irish soldiers celebrated the holiday after defeating a garrison in Montreal during the French and Indian Wars. As Britain colonized New France, they brought with them their Irish brethren and the country has been green ever since.

In fact, Canada loves St. Patrick’s Day so much that Newfoundland and Labrador have both declared it an official state holiday. Guinness even got into the act and lobbied the government in Ottawa to pass a law to make it a federally recognized national holiday.

If you want to have an especially awesome time, try the province of Manitoba. St. Patrick’s Day is a three day festival held annually in that province, celebrating with music and culture. The Irish Association of Manitoba sponsors many of the events.

During the hockey seasons between 1919 and 1927, the Toronto Maple Leafs were known as the Toronto St. Patricks. They wore green jerseys and played a distinctly Irish brand of hockey. Every St. Patrick’s Day, the team honors their tradition by wearing St. Pats retro jerseys. The Blue Jays also capitalize on the holiday by wearing green uniforms. Toronto also uses St. Patrick’s Day to showcase its largest parade in the city’s downtown core. Every year, 100,000 spectators show up to see the festival of all things Irish.